HUNGARIAN WALNUT ROLLS

This is my simple way of welcoming a new member to our family. I've been cooking Hungarian dishes so my niece will be able to cook these tried and tested dishes and add to her recipe book! I will be blogging some more soon.Welcome to our family Mikey! Take good care of my sweet little niece=;).

Baking is not really my forte' but i've challenged myself to at least bake (a yeast based bread) once a month. This Hungarian Nut Roll is my third. This bread is definitely a keeper, i'm already thinking of different fillings i could use in lieu of the nuts the next time i make this. The dough is so good.

Recipe Adapted from Red Star Original Yeast Recipes

Yields: 2 Rolls

Ingredients:

Milk 1/3 C
Sour Cream 1/2 C
Butter 3 T
Egg yolks 2  room temperature
Egg 1 room temperature
Bread Flour 3 + 1/2 C
Sugar 1/2 C
Salt 1/2 t
Active Dry Yeast 4+1/2 t

Filling:
Milk 2 T
Walnuts, freshly ground 2 C
Sugar 1/4 C
Brown Sugar 1/4 C
Butter, 1/4 C room tempereature

Egg 1

Vanilla 1/2 t

Combine yeast, 1 1/2 c flour, sugar and salt. Heat milk, sour cream  and butter to 120-130 degree F. Add to flour mixture; blend on low speed. Add egg yolks and egg; beat 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed. By hand stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface 5 to 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl; turn to grease top. Cover, let rise until dough tests ripe, about 40 minutes.

Prepare Filling
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine milk, wlanuts, sugar and butter.
Cook on medium heat until mixture resembles a paste, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat; cool.
Stir in vanilla.
Fold in beaten eggs.

Shaping, Rising, And Baking
Turn dough on to lightly floured, surface; punch down to remove air bubbles.
Cover; let dough relax for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 2 parts.
On lightly floured surface, roll each half to a 12- x 12-inch square.

Spread half of cooled Filling to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up tightly.

Pinch edges to seal; turn ends under.

Place seam-side down on greased baking sheet.

** Repeat with remaining dough. Prick top of roll every 3 inches with fork to eliminate air bubbles. Cover; let rise in warm place until indentation remains when lightly touched, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes until browned. Cover lightly with foil to prevent over browning. Brush with melted butter to maintain a soft crust. Breads are very fragile when warm. Using two spatulas carefully lift Walnut Roll from baking sheet onto rack to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool; slice to serve. Freezes well.

**Using parchment paper to line baking sheet makes it easier to transfer rolls to cooling rack.

LUMPIA SARIWA (FILIPINO FRESH SPRING ROLLS)

Every Asian country has their version of Egg Rolls. If you have a Filipino friend or has been to a Filipino gathering chances are you have already tried one of these Lumpia(Lumpia Sariwa, Lumpia Shanghai, Lumpia Prito) or all. I will be blogging them one at a time.

The authentic Lumpia Sariwa (Fresh Lumpia) recipe calls for hearts of palms which is not easy to find and is not available in some States, if ever it is available it's probably in a can. And if you can get a fresh heart of palms, by all means go ahead add it to the ingredients.

Since i can't find fresh heart of palms, i use the same fillings for both the Fresh Lumpia and Fried Lumpia.

Lumpia Sariwa consists of julienned vegetables, bean sprout, ground pork or chicken, crushed peanuts and lettuce leaf wrapped in a yellowish egg crepe. This is served w/ a garlic sauce. You can omit meat if you want this vegan.

Ingredients: Y: 16

3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 piece chicken breast -- chopped
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 cup onion -- chopped
2 cups green beans -- sliced very thin
2 cups carrot -- thinly julienne
2 cups bean sprouts -- cleaned
2 cups Jicama -- thinly julienne (optional)
3 cups cabbage -- sliced thin
1 can garbanzo beans -- drained and chopped
1 bunch lettuce leaves -- washed and dried
Salt and Pepper to taste

FRESH LUMPIA WRAPPER (Crepe)
4 medium eggs -- beaten
2 cups cornstarch
2 1/2 cups water
3 tablspoons oil

SAUCE
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch -- dilute 1/4C H20
6 cloves garlic -- minced
pounded peanuts (optional)

PROCEDURE:

FILLING:
1. Sauté garlic, onions until brown.
2. Add the chopped chicken stir season with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken turns white.
3. Add in the vegetables, start with the veggies that requires longer time to cook. Cook until tender but still crunchy.
4. Adjust salt and pepper. Add a little of soy sauce if necessary. Adjust flavor.
5. Drain, get a spoonful of mixture put on the wrapper with lettuce leaves.

WRAPPER:
1. Beat eggs until frothy.
2. Add the cornstarch, oil and water.
3. Mix well until cornstarch dissolves.
4. Preheat a nonstick frying pan. Ladle about 2 tablespoon of the mixture into the hot pan while swirling until it spreads out thinly like a crepe'.
5. Pick up crepe gently and cover until ready to use.

SAUCE:
1. Mix all ingredients except cornstarch and garlic.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Add cornstarch mix, stir constantly until thicken.
4. Take pot away from heat then add minced garlic.

HOW TO PREPARE:
1. Lay the lettuce on lower left side of the wrapper. Half of the leaf should be sticking out of the wrapper.
2. Put a tablespoon of filling on top of the lettuce then roll like a crepe or burrito. Fold the opposite side of the lettuce to secure filling.
3. Arrange on a small plate. Pour garlic sauce on top. Serve room temperature.

**** Wrap individual lumpia w/ cut wax paper to avoid from sticking and easy to pick up.

SALMON BOZUSHI

This is it, our final Japanese dish showcasing shiso leaves. Again, Debbie, Domo Arigato for the inspiration. Obviously sashimi grade salmon was used for this dish.
Just for a brief fyi: http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/MAIN/fish/seafood/sushi-glossary.asp#b

BOZUSHI ("STICK"/ROD SUSHI)
Bosushi is pressed into a long, candy bar-type shape and then cut up into bite-size pieces.

SUSHI means
Su: Rice vinegar. Part of the derivation of the word, sushi. Rice is shi in Japanese.

W/c means sushi doesn't necessarily mean raw fish on rice. You can be as creative as you want. You can make vegan sushi as well.


This is my sushi recipe. There are a lot of variations/versions of sushi rice so make what ever you think will best suit you.

Ingredients
4 cups sushi rice (I use Nishiki brand)
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup mirin


Directions
1. Wash rice at least 2 times or until water is clear. Every rice calls for different rice and water ratio so follow the measurements/ instructions of the brand of rice you bought.

2. Cook rice in rice cooker. I highly recommend a rice cooker. If you don't have a rice cooker, cook rice in a pot.

3. Fold in vinegar and mirin with the hot rice, add enough so that the rice has a tart/sweet taste. Rice should be shiny, not mushy. Carefully clean inside rim of bowl with damp cloth, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

At this stage you'll be making a salmon bozushi:

Note: I spread a little of Japanese spicy mayo. (Store bought) before adding the shiso leaves.

4. Slice the salmon thin, lengthwise.

5. Put a 1/2 cup of rice at the center of a large piece of clear wrap then start spreading and pressing the rice until it forms into a stick/rod and firm enough to keep its shape. Optional: spread spicy mayo.

5. Spread your shiso leaves across the top of your shaped sushi. I used at least 3 shiso leaves here. It'll depend on the size of your leaves.

6. Over the shiso leaves, arrange the salmon, overlapping each slices slightly, just so no rice will be exposed.

7.Then wrap the stick/rod firmly in the clear wrap.

8. Cut in bite sizes and serve w/ soy sauce and wasabi.

Sashimi Grade Salmon

Shiso Leaf

Bozushi in the wrapped stage

Cut Bozushi into bite sizes and top w/ fish roe (optional)

Kanpai!

Really, really delicious!

SALMON KELP ROLL

Another recipe from "Nobu Now" cookbook. Yes, it's another roll! check Here for the explaination if you don't already know why i've been making Japanese fares and why. This was one of our Sunday menu.

SALMON KELP ROLL
Recipe from Nobu Now Cookbook P. 36

Serves :2
½ sheet Shiroita Konbu kelp ( 5x8 inch) *
2 ounces boneless skinless salmon fillet
2 large shiso leaves
1 garlic clove, cut into 6 thin slices
1 stick yamagobo root, rolled and cut into slices about ½ inch thick.
½ ounce scallions chopped
daikon for garnish *2 T ponzu
1 head of an edible flower *

AMA-ZU (SWEET VINEGAR)
2 T rice vinegar
6 T granulated sugar
2 ½ t sea salt
PONZU
4 T soy sauce
8 T rice vinegar
2 T lemon juice
¾ inch square piece of konbu

1. Make the ama-zu by putting all the ingredients in a pan and warming through gently until the sugar dissolves. *
2. Prepare the kelp: heat the ama-zu in a pan until it is just about to boil (it should not reach boiling point), then add the kelp. Simmer gently for 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool at room temperature. *3. Peel off the skin of the salmon and cut the flesh into 6 thin slices about 1/8 inch thick.

4. Drain the kelp well and spread it out on a sheet of plastic wrap.* Place 4 salmon slices side by side and then the other slices across them side by side.

5. Over the salmon slices, arrange the 2 large shiso leaves, the slices of garlic, yamagobo and scallions. Roll up the kelp tightly into a cylinder.

6. Cut the roll across into 6 pieces and arrange them on a serving dish with daikon garnish in the middle. Pour some ponzu around the pieces and place the flower on the daikon.

Ponzu sauce – are available at Japanese/Asian markets.

yamagobo root - pickled burdock

Shiroita Kelp is the ingredient i had to substitute. Noble Fish didn't have this kind of kelp so i opted to buy Soy Wrap w/c to me is the closest to the kelp and i get to try something new as well.

***I skipped some steps since i didn't have the kelp.

This is like a very thin crepe. It comes w/ 5 different flavors.

Sashimi/Sushi Grade fish should be used for this particular dish.

Salmon

Shiso Leaves

Yamagobo (Picled Burdock)

Place salmon slices side by side. Over the salmon slices, arrange 2 shiso leaves, slices of garlic, yamagobo and scallions (i used chives). Roll up tightly into a cylinder.

Cut into pieces and arrange them on serving dish w/ some garnish. Daikon should have been a garnish for this but forgot to buy one so i garnished it w/ my cherry tomato. Pour some ponzu.

It was okay but will not be doing this again. I didn't like the pickled burdock (yamagobo). But the soy wrap, i will definitely be using them again great alternative for nori wrap. (Wink, Wink to Tina)